Love Don't Cost A Thing
by ElleIra42
Summary: Troy and Gabriella meet differently from the movie, and, from there, everything changes.  Rated K now, but WILL change later.  It sounds bad, but it won't be.


**Okay, I really like this one. I hope everyone who reads it likes it as much as I do. This story is planned to be many chapters long, and I have no idea when it's going to be done, so…**

**Disclaimer: No owny HSM! Seriously, I'm not Disney, I'm not Kenny, and I'm not any of the actresses (sadly). Oh, and I also don't own MapQuest, or the Honda Accord Hybrid. (link in profile)**

**I don't want to give away anything. So, all I'm saying is Gabriella and Troy meet in a slightly different way than the movie, so the whole plot of the movie changes. FYI, I'm overly obsessed with parentheses, so I'll try to turn it down next chapter. I also want to say that, in this story, it's their junior year. I don't know when the character's birthdays are, so let's pretend they're all 16 unless otherwise noted.**

**Just another FYI before we start; this story will always be in Gabriella's point of view unless stated differently at the beginning of the chapter. Each entire chapter will be in one POV (Example: If, at the beginning of chapter 2, it's stated that it will be in Troy's POV, the WHOLE chapter is in Troy's POV. Chapter 3 will then be in Gabriella's POV unless otherwise stated.)**

**Please enjoy!**

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It was the first night of winter break. We had just moved into the new neighborhood. I was scared. What if I don't make any new friends? What if nobody likes me?

"Gabi! Time to go!" That's my mom. We're kinda close, seeing as how we're the only ones in these huge houses, but there are things in our past that still keep a sometimes uncomfortable distance between us. Fortunately, I've been pen-paling with one of my cousins since the incident. We text, e-mail, IM; it's awesome! Anyway, my mom and I are going to a hotel for a week (actually, I guess it's a "ski lodge." I'm not quite sure why, since I never really learned how to ski.). During the break. We're mostly moved in, so we don't have to worry about that. Then again, this move probably won't stick very long, anyway.

I grabbed my suitcase and my purse and ran down the stairs of my new house, yelling to my mom, "I'm coming, I'm coming!"

I stopped short of the kitchen, putting my suitcase next to the front door with my purse on top. I walked into the kitchen. I saw my mom, leaning against the counter and drinking coffee. What a sight; especially since the coffee cups are pretty much the only thing we've unpacked. Okay, so we're not mostly unpacked. But, hey, it's more than usual.

"Okay, mom, I'm all set… C'mon, we don't want to hit traffic!" We had no idea where we were going (we used MapQuest), never having lived here before, but my mom agreed I could drive. I've had my license for two months, and I love to drive.

I grabbed my purse and suitcase, opened the front door, and took the car keys out of my pocket. I opened the trunk of the car and put my suitcase in the trunk. I was only mildly surprised to find no snow on the ground. I've lived in many different places, with a myriad of precipitation, but most places had snow during the winter.

I climbed into the driver's seat of my mom's silver Honda Accord Hybrid, and my mom followed soon after. Taking out our MapQuest directions, my mom told me which way to turn out of the driveway. The drive was entirely quiet (yeah, the uncomfortable distance), but I had turned on our "driving mix" cd, so I lived…

**LDCAT**

We pulled in about six-o-clock, and went straight to the check-in desk. We were given two key cards for room 614. We walked around the lobby, finding the pool and dining area. We saw signs leading to the weights/sports area, the lounge, and the ski rental area.

My mom and I then grabbed our suitcases and went to our room. It was very nice, with a bathroom, two twin beds, and a tv. There was a mini fridge with a microwave on top. We heard there was a small meal being served at seven in the dining area, so we went back down.

The whole time I was "enjoying" my meatloaf (I'm a vegetarian, but my mom doesn't really know) and "talking" to my mom, I looked around for someone around my age (I wasn't planning on reading the entire week!), but I was at a loss. I mean, how many kids do you find at a ski lodge (thankfully, there was snow!)?

When my mother and I were finished eating, we went back upstairs. Another family followed us, consisting of a mom, dad, eight-ish year-old boy, and a boy who looked to be sixteen. Hey, I'm sixteen! We ended up waiting for the elevator at the same time. I kept glancing at the other family, but I would look away when the boy my age did the same.

Our two families ended up getting on two different elevators. Someone got on my elevator at floor three, probably going to the weight/sports floor, which happened to be one floor above mine and the last floor in the building. When we got off the elevator, my mom and I started walking to our room. Something caught my eye. I looked to my right as my mom unlocked our door, and I saw a foot (in similar flip flops to the ones the sixteen year-old-boy of the other family was wearing), and then the door close. Could it be? Could that family be right there, in the next room?

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**Okay, okay, I know she rambles. I'm hoping it won't be that slow-moving in other chapters. So, we likey? I hope I can answer all of your questions in due time (including the "incident"). If you have any questions, though, please ask. All questions will be answered in A/N's or in the story itself.**

**Right. I wanna explain the floor thing. Gabriella and her mom are staying in floor 4, since, in most hotels, the first number in your room number is your floor number. The sports/weight area (where you find Troy and his father playing basketball in the movie) is one floor above Gabriella and her mom (the fifth floor), and the highest floor in the building. The random guy (probably won't be too important in this story) who got on Gabriella's elevator is staying on floor 3, but he was going to visit the sports/weight area. Hope that clears some things up.**

**If you haven't read my Phil of the Future story yet, I'm going to explain my prize thing, which I'm going to start doing for every chapter. Basically, I give a question or quote, and you have to answer the question (or whatever I say you need to do) in your review. I'll (randomly) pick somewhere between 2 and 5 correct answers (depending on how many answer), and they get a prize. Winners will be announced the next chapter. ****For this specific chapter, the only way you will be chosen is if you answer both questions correctly in your review.**

**How many hats did Ryan wear in the first High School Musical movie? ****How many shirt sayings did Corbin write for his costumes in the first High School Musical movie?**

**Dedication: My (one of three) cat, Copper. He fell asleep on my bed while I was typing this up. (Trust me, it's the only time he's cute.)**

**So, I don't want you to click the button this time. Nope; Gabriella does. Why? Because the sooner you click the blue-ish purple-ish button, the sooner she finds out who the mystery kid is, and the plot of this story unravels (Dun, dun, dun!).**


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